February 3, 2012

Gas, cheese, heat. These are the best tools in Jeffrey Soptic’s arsenal. He takes advantage of his size and at 6’6″, he should get stronger as he develops. I don’t need to tell you that a guy who can hit a consistent 96 mph throughout an entire inning, let alone an entire start, is rare. If the MLB was full of them it would be a little too rough for the hitters. Soptic’s main issue has been to learn to pitch low in the zone with his fastball. It’s currently very flat despite the plus velocity.

His slider is a pitch that can flash plus, which is promising but he really needs to develop it further and gain more consistency. It would be to his advantage to work on a nasty sinker for those batters sitting on the fastball.

The Mechanics

Jeffrey Soptic has a smooth and easy delivery and uses his size and arm strength to deliver his high 90s, and at times 100 plus, velocity. His mechanics are solid and sound; no need for polishing in that area especially since he profiles so well at the back of the pen.

Soptic pitched 2.2 innings in Bristol after he got drafted in June 2011:

Erik Johnson was the bulldog ace for California this season. He is 6’2″, 240 and is a workhorse who can run it up to 94 or 95. He has a good change and a nice breaking ball as well. His mechanics are erratic and he isn’t overly athletic but at worst he will be a good set up man. He could be a #3 guy and eat 200 innings if everything works right for him and he can iron out his mechanics a little.

Jeff Soptic, a righty out of Johnson County CC in Kansas, has a rocket for an arm. He can hit triple digits but he is another raw product. He flashes a plus slider and with the velocity he has, he looks like he could be a back of the bullpen kind of guy. He could be a #2 starter if he improves his command and develops an average changeup. …

August 15, 2011

The Sox plan to sign their 29th round pick, outfielder Dustin Hayes of Langley, BC, before Monday’s midnight deadline. Hayes, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder, is considered an exceptional athlete with a strong arm. He played in the Coquitlam (BC) Angels Senior League.

So does Devenski, a converted shortstop who transferred from Golden West JC. He fell out of favor early in the year before coming on again a bit in the second half, though he had a 4.98 ERA in 22 innings through 15 appearances on the spring. Devenski ran his fastball up to 94 mph in the fall, but he’s been more 90-92 and straight this spring, and there were outings when he worked in the high 80s. His slider and changeup are serviceable.

Williams also admitted that most of the calls he’s getting from GMs at this point are of the prank variety.

“I’ve got a lot of friends in the game, so some of them are calling just to check in, make sure we are kind of where we are,” Williams smiled. “There’s a lot of rumors out there about us going either way, either being buyers or sellers, so there’s people checking in. Then there’s some of the more smart aleck friends of mine in the general manager ranks that are calling with humorous anecdotes as to what’s going on. It’s just that time of year. I think it’s the most fun time to be a general manager that there is during the calendar year.”

July 25, 2011

Bryce Mosier thought he had his mind set on attending San Diego State University.

Mosier, a 33rd round pick by the White Sox in June’s amateur draft, had Sox scout George Cachigian come to his house and make him an offer to sign last week.

With the offer not being what he wanted, Mosier was planning on delaying pro ball and playing collegiately for three years, which is what players are forced to do before they’re eligible for the draft again.

However, Mosier ended up having a change of heart. He talked to people he knew who had played college ball and decided that going pro straight out of high school would be better in the long run. …

Bryce Mosier, a physical catcher with a slightly above-average arm and solid receiving skills. Mosier impressed scouts at the Jesse Flores Memorial All-Star Game in November, earning MVP honors with a two-run triple. He has some feel for the barrel and power potential, and he could sneak into the back of the top 10 rounds.

Bryce Mosier (Valhalla HS) should be a very good college catcher at the next level. He will throw and catch enough and showed some pop during BP. He’s not a physically imposing catcher and won’t be a basher, but he’s going to some value for the next few years.

Brandon Parrent is a 2008 LHP with a 6’2”, 180 lb. frame from Flower Mound, TX who attends Flower Mound HS. Tall athletic build, long loose arm action on the mound, good arm speed, smooth balanced delivery, finishes well to the plate, ball comes out of hand clean, works both sides of the plate, velocity projects, throws strikes, tight rotation on curveball, nice cut action on change-up, knows how to pitch, very good pitchability, good upside.

Few pitchers in this draft can light up a radar gun like Soptic can, but his lack of consistency likely will keep him out of the first couple of rounds. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder’s arm works easily, as he effortlessly delivers fastballs at 93-96 mph and peaks at 100. Velocity is the one constant with Soptic. His four-seam fastball is fairly straight and gets hit harder than it should. He’ll flash a plus slider at times, but it’s below-average more often than not. His changeup is a distant third pitch. Unless he can significantly improve his control and secondary pitches, Soptic probably will have to settle for being a reliever as a pro. Nevertheless, his arm strength and body are hard to ignore. Drafted in the 43rd round out of high school by the Royals but unselected when he maxed out at 94 mph as a freshman, Soptic will attend Missouri if he doesn’t turn pro.

This 6-6 right-hander scrapes 100 MPH with his fastball and has a promising slider. Although somewhat unrefined as a pitcher, his upside is huge and his arm strength is as good as anyone else’s in the draft. He could easily go in the supplemental round to a team looking for a high-octane arm to harness.

Big guy with a mid-90s fastball and good slider. He has a University of Missouri commitment and might end up there if he doesn’t go high enough this year. 4.50 ERA with 58/31 K/BB in 56 innings, 41 hits; command issues are the main problem.

The Royals drafted Soptic 2 years ago in the 43rd round out of Shawnee Mission East High School. The 20 year old RH is still very projectable and was throwing 93 on a very cold baseball day (38 degrees) the day I saw him pitch. His fastball lacked the movement you would want with a power pitcher and he complimented it with a 83-84 mph slider.He did not throw a change the day I saw him but I am told he has a serviceable one.

July 7, 2011

Mike Marjama, a 23rd-round pick by the Chicago White Sox, signed before the deadline and has been assigned to Bristol in the Appalachian League. Marjama considered returning for his senior season after he was drafted later than anticipated and played for Orleans in the Cape Cod League before he and Chicago came to an agreement.

Johnson has a big, 6-foot-2, 240-pound frame and sometimes has trouble maintaining his mechanics. His delivery can get a little rigid and he loses his arm slot at times, though he’s been better about getting it back than he was last year. Johnson is quick to the plate and sits in the 90-94 mph range with his fastball and tops out at 95. His best secondary offering is a hard slider that he can throw for strikes or use as a wipeout pitch and he also mixes in a slow, show-me curveball and a changeup that is inconsistent, but shows flashes of being a quality pitch. Johnson sometimes tries to be too fine with his fastball instead of trusting that he can overpower hitters with it. While he needs to sharpen his fastball command, Johnson has shown a good enough feel for pitching to get by and go deep into games without it.

Johnson is ranked 97th on the Baseball America prospect list and 74th on the Perfect Game list, which would put him on the bottom fringes of the supplemental round or in the second. However, he has the power arm (90-95 MPH fastball, good slider) to go somewhere in the middle of the supplemental round for a team that believes they can refine his mechanics and polish his changeup.

Johnson is ranked 97th on the Baseball America prospect list and 74th on the Perfect Game list, which would put him on the bottom fringes of the supplemental round or in the second. However, he has the power arm (90-95 MPH fastball, good slider) to go somewhere in the middle of the supplemental round for a team that believes they can refine his mechanics and polish his changeup.

Johnson isn’t a more talked about draft prospect because of his mechanical issues, which have seen him suffer through bouts of wildness (37 walks in 83.2 IP). He began his college career as a reliever, which tinkered with his mechanics a bit, and now that he’s back in a starting role, he’s struggled to go deep into games.He does, however, feature pretty good velocity, topping out at about 95-96 mph. He complements his fastball with a very good slider. He also throws a curveball and a changeup, the latter of which has made solid strides throughout the course of the season.

The White Sox finalized their deal with top draft pick Keenyn Walker on Tuesday, signing him to a $795,000 bonus. The 47th overall selection, Walker had Tweeted (via @Keenyn_Walker) six days earlier that he had agreed to terms. His bonus exceeds MLB’s $739,800 recommendation for his draft slot. …

Walker was drafted in the 16th round out of high school in Utah in 2009 and last year at Central Arizona, in the 38th round. Scouts have always been intrigued by the 6-foot-3 switch-hitter with standout tools and impressive athleticism. The raw tools don’t always translate on the baseball field, however, and he didn’t even start regularly last year. This year is a different story. Walker has performed well with wood and he should get more than the $250,000 he reportedly turned down out of high school. Walker has more power from the right side, but his lefthanded swing is more pure. He’s mostly a gap hitter with above-average speed, so he profiles as a good defensive center fielder. He has the speed to hit at the top of the order, but needs to cut down on his strikeouts. If he doesn’t sign, Walker will head to Utah.

Keenyn Walker, OF, Central Arizona Junior College: The blazing fast, 80-speed Walker showed greatly improved hitting skills this spring, and in some draft classes would be rated a first-rounder. The deep nature of this class, plus the fact that junior college players get less attention than high school or four-year college players, pushes Walker back to second or third round slots for most. However, someone in love with his athleticism could easily choose him in the supplemental.

Keenyn Walker, OF, Central Arizona CC: Bats Both, 6-3, 185. Drafted by the Cubs in the 16th round in 2009 but didn’t sign. Toolsy, athletic, very fast, some power potential, has strikeout issues and is still rather raw, but toolsy enough to go on first day. Committed to Utah if he doesn’t sign. Hitting .421/.513/.622 with 28 walks, 35 strikeouts in 164 at-bats, 49 steals in 52 attempts.

Good athletic body, Plus run, nice arm, tools are there, looked good at PG National, good at AC, bat needs to come on

and the June 2008 scouting report:

Keenyn Walker is a 2009 OF/P with a 6’1”, 185 lb. frame from Salt Lake City, UT who attends Judge Memorial. Keenyn is a lean well put together very athletic player with fluid actions in the outfield. His throws carry well in the outfield with arm strenth. He is a switch hitter at the plate with a line drive swing plane. He showed a bit better from the left side and has good extension in his swing. He stays inside the baseball and uses all fields. He projects very large with added strength and is a very good, 6.53 sixty. Walker is extremely athletic and he could skyrocket up the charts by next year.

“Keenyn is a kid that we’ve scouted extensively,” White Sox director of amateur scouting Doug Laumann said. “He plays in a competitive junior college program in Arizona. He’s been very successful. He is a high ceiling athlete. Unlike some high ceiling athletes, this kid really has a feel for playing the game.”

Laumann projected Walker to be two and a half years away from making it to the major leagues if he progresses at an ideal pace. He compared the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Walker to Devon White and Carlos Beltran.

Walker has decent patience at the plate as he led his team in walks this year with 36 (16.8 BB% (BB/AB)), which, combined with his speed, gives him potential as a top of the order hitter, but in order to reach that potential he will need to watch the strikeouts, which have been a problem for him. Walker struck out 45 times this year (21% K% (SO/AB)), which again led his team.

Semien is a steady defender with sure hands and some arm strength, though he may lack the first-step quickness to stay at shortstop. He’s an average runner. He hit well last year and in the Northwoods League last summer, but scouts have questions about his bat. He didn’t do anything to quell doubters this year, hitting .260/.357/.380.